Cassius to Cassius
by Quintus C
Summary: Dust intervenes on a battle between Moonbloods and Warmbloods over a village.


**Cassius to Cassius**

I don't know how Dust managed to be awake and alert every morning while I was still rubbing my eyes. Every day he broke camp at the crack of dawn, and he walked with purpose, eyes always forward. But those mornings in the sparsely-inhabited wilderness, sometimes surrounded by miles of dewy fields, were some of the few peaceful moments we got with all the fighting going on, so sometimes we talked, even while I was trying to shoo my drowsiness away.

"You'll be fighting General Gaius soon," I said.

"I know," said Dust. "I'm trying not to think about it."

"You can beat him, right?"

"I know I can. I have to."

"Yeah," I said. "Hey, Dust … Why do you think General Gaius is doing what he's doing? Trying to wipe out the Moonbloods, I mean."

"It's not just General Gaius," said Dust. "The General has orders from the king of the Warmblood nation. They've been expanding for close to a century, slaughtering those they perceive to be inferior wherever they go."

"Yeah, but … but why? I mean … It doesn't make any sense …"

"Some people are Takers," said Dust. "They believe the world is theirs, so they take it. The Moonbloods aren't the first to fall to the Warmbloods, and if we don't stop them, they won't be the last."

I didn't say any more. As we crested a hill, Dust suddenly stuck his arm out to the side.

"Get down," he said.

I lay belly-down in the grass while Dust crouched and peeked over the hill. I couldn't see, so I tried to hover, but Dust waved at me again.

"Fidget!" he hissed. "I said stay down!"

I lay down again and covered myself with my wings. "What do you see?" I whispered

"A battle," said Dust. "Warmbloods and Moonbloods. It looks like the Moonbloods are trying to defend a village."

"That sounds bad. What are we going to—"

Before I could finish, Dust leapt over the hill and ran. He was like a gust of wind. Below, I could see the Moonbloods and Warmbloods fighting among buildings of wood and straw, and as the Moonbloods looked up and saw Dust racing towards toward them, they cheered:

"Mithrarin! Mithrarin!"

He collided with the enemy, unleashing a flurry of sword strokes and kicks I'd come to know him for, cutting limbs and necks, grabbing enemy soldiers and throwing them, launching them into the air and slamming them back down on top of their friends. In the thick of the fight he yelled, "Fidget!" and automatically I launched my magic attack. He caught it with a Dust Storm, and the magic projectiles zipped all around and pummeled the enemy until they sat bruised and beaten among the bodies of their comrades. When things cleared up, and the survivors collected themselves, they threw their weapons to the ground.

Dust approached one of the Warmbloods. His helmet had been knocked off in the battle, and I saw that he was a young boy. Dust put his blade to the Warmblood's neck, and the Warmblood stiffened in fear.

"We—We're just village guards!" he said. "I've never hurt a Moonblood in my life, I swear! I'd never even _seen_ one before today!"

The Moonbloods were dressed in a motley assortment of battle gear, and one of them, face made up with war paint, seemed to be the leader. They began to cheer, and War Paint bowed respectfully to Dust and said, "I never imagined the Mithrarin would join us today. You saved us a lot of trouble. But we're not done; we still have to search the village." He gave his followers a signal, and in they went.

My gaze followed them, and I saw Warmblood women and children starting to come out of the houses.

"Dust," I said, "I don't think this was a Warmblood attack."

Dust turned back to the soldier. "Who are you?" he said.

"I—we—we're just villagers, please, my mother and sister live here, I just wanted …"

"Mithrarin! We found it!" War Paint shouted. They were rummaging through a hut. Glancing once more at the Warmblood soldier, Dust left him and joined the Moonbloods inside.

"What did you find?" he said.

The hut was a storeroom, full of crates. Moonbloods had already broken a few of them open and spilled their contents.

"Wheat grain, corn, fruit … They're provisions for General Gaius' army," said War Paint.

Dust went out and returned to the Warmblood soldier.

"Who's your leader?" he said.

"C-Centurion Niviticus."

"A Centurion under Gaius?"

"Y-Yeah. But we never fought Moonbloods …"

"I knew it," said Dust. "Where is he?"

"I can't …"

Dust raised his blade again.

"In the woods. He's leading a scouting party."

"Looking for Moonbloods?"

"Just trying to keep the village safe …"

"He's not doing a very good job, if this attack got through …" He left the Warmblood and walked in War Paint's direction.

"Keep the village secure. I'm going to find Centurion Niviticus."

Then he kept walking.

"Dust, what are you doing?" I said once we were clear of the village.

"If Niviticus works for Gaius, then we can't let him go. He has to know what happened here today."

"So, you're just gonna talk to him, and tell him about the attack?"

Dust said nothing.

In the forest, Dust tracked Niviticus as a skilled hunter tracks his prey. He picked up the trail, following signs that were invisible to me, and moved silently. He didn't say a word, and I didn't dare say one either. It felt like an eternity, but finally he caught up with the patrol, and when he did, he stepped into the open and called, "Centurion Niviticus!"

The squad all turned around, and when they saw an unfamiliar figure, they readied their weapons. "Who are you?" said Niviticus. "State your business."

"I am Dust. My Moonbloods have already seized your village. We know you're supplying food for General Gaius."

Niviticus grit his teeth.

"I aim to take you back, whether you wish to go or not."

"I am going back," said Niviticus, "but not with you."

In an instant, the fight begun. The soldiers surrounded Dust, but he was ready for them. He deflected attacks from all sides and launched counterattacks, and one by one, the soldiers fell with slashed throats and chests. When Niviticus was the last one standing, Dust focused a flurry of attacks on him, hooked him with his blade, and threw him to the ground.

He tied up Niviticus and brought him back to the village. There, he brought Niviticus to the center square and threw him down. He looked around, and when he saw that he had most everyone's attention, he faced Niviticus, raised his blade over his head … and stuck it in the ground at Niviticus' feet.

"This is a warning. To you, to General Gaius, and to the entire Warmblood nation: You are not welcome here. Leave peacefully now; otherwise, we will fight you, we will defeat you, and we will drive you from our land."

He picked up his sword, sheathed it, and left. The circle of onlookers parted to make way for him. He went into the storeroom, picked up a bright red apple, and bit into it as he walked out of the village. He kept going all the way to the fields we'd come from.

I stayed quiet hoping he would say something, but he didn't. Eventually I got the courage to speak up.

"Why did you have to do that?" I said.

"Do what?" said Dust.

"Don't do that. You know what. Why'd you have to attack that village, and why'd you have to scare everyone, and tell them to leave their homes?"

"It was one of General Gaius' settlements. They provide food and lodging for his soldiers. Building them is one of the ways he spreads his influence through the region."

"But they were innocent people. Those soldiers were just boys. They weren't hurting anyone."

"They were helping Gaius. Stopping them brought us that much closer to ending his tyrannical campaign."

"I thought we were trying to make _peace_ …"

"Takers are like an infection. They grow without end, destroying everything and everyone in their path. The only way to bring true peace is to …"

"Eradicate them?"

Dust said nothing.

"Doesn't it bother you? You say all these horrible things about the Warmbloods, but you _are_ one. Those are _your people_. Doesn't this whole thing _bother you_? Eradicate them … That's what Fuse tried to do. That's what … That's what Cassius would do."

Dust stopped. He grit his teeth hard, as if he was chewing on the words.

"They are _not_ my people," he finally said. "What happened today was a victory. It's as simple as that. I don't want to hear any more about it."

I didn't say any more, but as Dust walked on, eyes always forward, I hovered in place for a while, and I watched him, and I understood. He was as much Cassius now as he was before. And it terrified me.


End file.
